This invention relates to dietary supplements. More particularly, the invention relates to a comprehensive dietary supplement comprising vitamins, bioavailable minerals in the form of amino acid chelates, phytonutrients, enzymes, herbs and antioxidants.
Since the publication of The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin in 1859, the extraordinary advances made in our knowledge of the molecular basis of health maintenance have brought an intellectual revolution in biology. Many fields of science have brought penetrating new insights into some of the most fundamental problems in cell structure and function and have led to a more comprehensive and more widely applicable framework for the science of biochemistry.
Cells function as chemical engines because they posses enzymes, catalysts capable of significantly increasing the rate of certain chemical reactions. Well over one thousand different enzyme systems have been identified and/or characterized. Enzymes are highly specialized proteins. Each type of enzyme can catalyze only one specific type of chemical reaction.
Enzymes have evolved to far exceed man-made catalysts in their reaction specificity, catalytic efficiency, and their capacity to operate under mild conditions of temperature and hydrogen ion concentration. They can catalyze in milliseconds, complex sequences of reactions that would require days, weeks, or months of work in the chemical laboratory.
Part of the evolutionary process has been the rendering of optimal functionality of enzymes by association with certain physiological substances. Optimal adaptation of enzyme systems was and still is a function of raw materials that were present during evolutionary change. These raw materials, which are known to enhance the biological activity of enzymes, are derived from a combination of earth metals and metabolic by-products of living things.
Vitamins are a group of organic substances, present in minute amount in natural food stuffs, that are essential to normal metabolism. Inasmuch as the human body does not synthesize many “essential compounds,” such as specific vitamins and minerals, these can be obtained from only two sources: food and supplements. The primary source of all nutrients is food. However, ample evidence documents that majority of the human population stratified by agen, gender, socioeconomic status, life styles and other variables, cannot meet the “Recommended Dietary Allowances” of foods containing these essential compounds and elements. Thus vitamin and mineral supplementation has become a recognized method of meeting accepted medical and public health nutrient standards.
Antioxidants are known to be advantageous in the diet for providing a protective effect against free radicals and oxidative damage that can occur in the gastrointestinal system as well as other various target tissues and organs including the liver, lungs, kidneys, and blood. It is believed that the free-radical effects on cells and tissues can be modified by antioxidants and so reduce cellular damage. Indeed, diets rich in antioxidants have been associated with longevity and with a decreased risk of many types of cancer.
Currently, many types of dietary vitamins and mineral formulas are in common use. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,292,538, 5,888,553; 5,904,924; and 5,569,458. However, they possess certain inherent deficiencies which detract from their overall utility. First of all, the prior art formulas typically do not contain appropriate bioavailable forms of minerals for intestinal absorption and transport for utilization as electrolytes, enzyme co-factors, and the like. Additionally, though many prior art formulas contain vitamins and minerals, they are not ratio proportioned so as to mimic the optimal levels found in healthy and active cells. Furthermore, most of these formulas do not contain enzymes to enhance the body's digestion and absorption of nutrients. In addition, no prior art formula contains a blend of phytonutrients comprising one or more members selected from grape seed extract, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, apple pectin, fructo-oligosaccharide(FOS) and Atlantic Kelp. Furthermore, most prior art formulas do not contain a blend of herbs selected from the group consisting of gingko biloba, garlic, Cayenne pepper, green tea extract, Gotu Kola extract, Tumeric extract, Siberian Ginseng, and Aloe vera extract, which provide synergistic nutrients in proper ratios to be used to the fullest benefit of the user.
In view of the foregoing, it will be appreciated that providing a dietary supplement that supplies a sufficient and optimal balance of minerals and vitamins as cofactors for enzymes, enzymes for aiding in digestion and utilization of foods especially proteins and dairy products, antioxidants for neutralizing free radicals in the body, and blends of phytonutrients and herbs would be advantageous to provide synergistic nutritional effects. Importantly, the inclusion of sufficient levels of minerals in the proper ratio and in bioavailable forms along with a blend of phytonutrients, enzymes and herbs, to provide for balanced and synergistic nutrients without causing any undesirable side effects would be of great advantage and a significant advancement in the art.